Holy terrorists? KKOL threatens to blow up oil refinery

KKOL owners were dismayed March 19 when the Coast Guard asked them to turn off their brand, spanking new 50,000 watt transmitter so they wouldn't be blowing up a nearby oil refinery, tanker ships or the Port of Tacoma.

Is it a jihad by this Christianist station? No, but their conservative broadcasting is threatening the lives of the public at large; the economy of Tacoma, and the fuel supply to the community and the nearby McCord Air Base.

(Where's Homeland Security? O yeah- they're paying Young Republicans to check my Grandma's underwear at the airport).

U.S. Oil, who runs the refinery and tanker dock near the transmitter in the Port of Tacoma has petitioned the FCC to shut down the KKOL, er, blowtorch. (a word powerful radio stations use to brag with that doesn't seem so brzg-worthy in this case).

They say dock workers have suffered smoking gloves and electrical shocks while off-loading petroleum from tank ships. They've also had refinery malfunctions and interference with their process monitoring system.

According to the petition:

The electrical charge that KKOL is delivering to the dock undermines these procedures and  could result in a stray spark that could ignite the flammable fuel located on  the ship, at the dock or the Refinery, causing injury to U.S. Oil employees, the  Refinery, the Dock, and ships anchored at the terminal. Workers at the Dock  have experienced electrical shocks when unloading crude oil during the month  of February 2007...  The damage to the instruments at the Refinery could lead to an accident.  The Coast Guard has required that steps be taken immediately to resolve this problem. The threat of harm to U.S.Oil employees, vessel personnel, and the public at large is real and present.

ConocoPhillips has threatened, they say, to stop delivering crude oil to the dock.

Inspiration Media, (Salem Broadcasting) responded to the Coast Guard with a plan to temporarily reduce the transmitter power and redirect the signal away from the dock while tankers are off-loading.

KKOL has had to move their transmitter a few times over the years; until last year, their baby 1000 watt sparkler was on a ship tied up in Elliott Bay. They've had problems siting their new powerful one- and it now looks like they'll have to move it again.

We're wondering: WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

(As population density fills in the blanks around the area, it's getting harder and harder to place these towers or increase their power. KJR has moved 3 times since losing its historic site).

Salem Communications is a media company founded by a couple of rich, religious, right-wing Californians to fight moral decay and "creeping secularism" and hell, make a few bucks at the same time with religious and brokered programming, small Spanish language, and rural stations. They don't take up much space in markets anywhere- but they are everywhere.

Read all about this media cabal in our epic post, Kkan Kkol Kkick Ass?

They've been trying to build KKOL into a player in the Seattle market by upgrading their syndicated programming; increasing wattage, and hiring local pros including former KIRO PD Tom Clendening and KOMO's Joe Heslet.

Some of their "upgraded" syndicated talkers are Laura Ingraham, Dennis Miller, Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, and Michael "The Lesser" Reagan. So far, they have no local talkers of note, and nobody seems to be listening to the station.

(Hat tip to reader rev and the April SBE 16 WaveGuide, the monthly broadcast engineers' newsletter.)

Comments

[Duffman]

Interesting headline Bla'am (that should generate a lot of hits).
Indeed what we DON'T need is another oil refinery out of capacity with gas prices where they are today. Seems like a precarious situation?

[Ted Smith]

I drove around the Port of Tacoma until I finally found KKKOL's new site. It seems to be in the middle of a used car lot. Very unimpressive.

I am reminded that there is no right way to do the wrong thing. KKKOL is a prime example.

[Duffman]

Just as an aside, I was kind of surprised at the price Mr Edwards apparently pays for a haircut. I would attribute decadence such as this more likely to a Republican!

[cinco]

There's got to be another technology than having thise big throbbing towers endangering everything around them. the webwill bury these antiques and good riddance.

[cindy]

When are they going to fix this???

[Jim Malso]

Come on- this threatens blue collar Tacoma. This is a Seattle station with out of state owners. they won't be busting their ass if it means costing them any dough any sooner.

[sue d]

Glad we don't live down there. I wonder if the Bush administration anti-goverment bureaucrats have anything to do with this not going anywhere? You can bet Salem was a big benefactoe of the Bush campaign.

[Mr Redmond]

Tacoma (still) stinks.

[drack]

maybe those christians will blow it up real good

[Duffman]

Right sue d, you can bet that (if not moved sooner) it will certainly be out of there once Mrs Clinton takes over!

[sue d]

The Port of Tacoma needs to get on this. saftey is supposed to be the first priority nowadys, not politics.

[joanie]

Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia Tec . . . all morning, every program.

Oh well.

I think we need a whole bunch of smaller local stations and fewer megawatt stations . . . maybe. Then again, maybe not.

[Mike]

Keep the government out of this. Look where we are leaving it up to them. gotten nowhere. Let the oil company and the radio station sort it out. Maybe we can keep some oil worker jobs and a radio station on the air.

[Duffman]

I have a great idea. Somehow we get the word to AG Gonzales that KKOL is not 'towing the Bush' line. And, Presto - he will make it disappear...and then he wont even remember doing it.

[mercifurious]

Re: VA Tech, Joanie - Amen to that.

Drudge, Cable-shmooze, all of them - An unholy scourge on all your houses for your casualty blood-lusts.

[mercifurious]

I have a great idea

oh c'mon, No need for crazy-talk

[mercifurious]

Oh, and thank you Orbusmax for moving-on to more important issues:

Orbi-Headline:
"***GRAPHIC VIDEO WARNING ***: RAPPER MOLESTS GIRL ON STAGE ***... "

[Duffman]

Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech, Virginia Tec . . . all morning, every program.
Now joanie..why so cynical; didn't you catch the significant news of the day? What, you ask?
Well, Sanjaya was booted off AI, of course! May be his notariety will propel him into a local talk show personality.

[joanie]

Duff, the significant news of the day is what Dave's topic was going to be . . . that the retired Port of Seattle CEO Dinsmore (who's is now working for an investment firm) would get an extra year's salary of over $300,000 for nothing! On top of his retirement of $88k a year!

Who do these people think they are? It is all about greed. Name that movie and the two actors in it: greed is good

[sparky]

oh i just saw that quoted the other day but I forgot who they mentioned...and that is only part of the quote,,,...give us a hint?

[cowpotpi3]

It was Wall Street and the line was spoken by Michael Douglass as Gordon Gecko. It also starred Charlie Sheen and Martin Sheen as his dad.

And I agree that the news sounds like a bunch of monkeys diddling with a Rubix Cube over and over again on the topic of the shootings while other pressing issues that still actually hang in the balance nationally and locally are on the back burner.

It's good to be back but sadly it seems like nothing has changed in my absence!

[joanie]

Cowpot is the winner of the all-expenses paid trip to view the shut-down of the KKOL transmitter! Aren't you excited Cowpot?

It seems Wall Street wasn't so much satirical or even reflective as prophetic.

Nice to have you back, by the way. :)

[joanie]

Another quiz:

I was not part of the process. I was not part of the process. I was not part of the process.

Hint: Testimony currently on CSpan.

[sparky]

welcome back cowpotpi3!

[mark]

I am not an electrical engineer, but wouldn't this be a grounding issue? Years ago I was on a really big Boeing job (Sheet Metal Assy Fac.) and our drill motors kept blowing up. Seems the Ironheads did not properly ground their welders, and the excess current pathed thru our stuff. They bought quite a few Makitas that week!

[sparky]

Is Assy Fac related to Assy McGee?

[Ted Smith]

"I am not an electrical engineer, but wouldn't this be a grounding issue?"

Yes and no. KKKOL, like any other AM radio station, has a series of ground wires leading to the base of each tower, usually 120 wires spaced around the compass that are at least as long as the tower is tall. The purpose of these wires is not safety (like your example) but rather to induce an RF wave along the surface of the Earth. Unfortunately, this ground wave also induces currents in surrounding metal objects - the closer to the antenna, the larger the current. Even if the metal objects are well-grounded in the conventional sense (as this refinery equipment undoubtedly is), these objects can still carry high-frequency currents. Any connection between two such metal objects can result in a voltage difference leading to a spark, even if they both show a solid DC ground.

Here (and I'm speculating), the metal refinery equipment has one set of currents and the metal ship has another set of currents. A connection between them may result in a spark.

Bottom line: When you go higher than 60 Hertz, grounding often becomes a challenge.

[EvergreenRailfan]

How about KIRO's transmitter? Does it effect anybody? It is 50,000 Watts, 710Khz, but located on Vashon Island. Anything sensitive to it there?

[mark]

thanks Ted

[Recife]

Gee that explains all the strange behavior on capitol and queen ann hill. Okay you don't get the point, look out your window. See those orange and white towers? Now why would they build those? And no I wouldn't live within five miles of them

[Ted Smith]

There are several 50kw AM stations on Vashon Island - KIRO, KTTH, KPTK, KOMO, KGNW, and KJR. You can bet that people get one or more of these on their telephones, but there are fewer problems in a rural area.

The Queen Anne and Capitol Hill towers are TV towers, some with side-mounted FM antennas. They do not have the same type of ground systems as AM stations but tend to cause their own set of problems. At TV-FM frequencies, elevation is the key and the tower is just a support structure. With AM, the entire tower (plus the buried radial ground system) is the antenna and the tower height is inversely proportional to the frequency.

[Duffman]

Very interesting and educational Ted.

[ted and docdog]

if no one is listening to this radio station then how do they stay on the air.
i mean it must take money. it must be assumed they have now sponsors because AND THIS IS TO QUOTE THE ABOVE.
"Some of their "upgraded" syndicated talkers are Laura Ingraham, Dennis Miller, Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, and Michael "The Lesser" Reagan. So far, they have no local talkers of note, and nobody seems to be listening to the station."
WELL IF THEY HAVE NO ONE LISTENING THEN WHO IS PAYING FOR THE TIME ON THE AIRWAVES?
MUST BE THE GREAT RIGHT WING CONSPIRICY PAYING FOR THE AIR TIME
OR OF COURSE THIS STATION STAYS ON THE AIR BECAUSE PEOPLE LISTEN TO IT AND AGREE WITH IT AND ACTUALLY SUPPORT THE SPONSORS OF THE PROGRAMS.
WOW WHAT A THOUGHT.
TED AND DOCTOR DOG.

[blathering michael]

Ted: take a breath. KKOL has so few listeners- they don't even show up in the 12+ local market ratings. (Look it up on Radio&Records.com) That means their ad rates are cheap and is why you hear the Bible store ads and the hemmorroid commercials. They're a big company, they can afford to lose money, and have been for years. They're trying to build up the station's ratings. My bests to Doc.